Research Needs

There are many swallowtails, birdwings and other Papilionidae that require further monitoring and research.

In addition to the 14 swallowtails that were assigned to the category Insufficiently Known (see Global Priorities) there is a wide range of uncategorized species for which further data are required.

In the list below, species marked with an asterisk are reasonably well known and not immediately threatened, but require continuous monitoring. Usually this is because they are found in areas where habitat destruction is accelerating, e.g. Graphium gudenusi in the forests of Central Africa, Atrophaneura antenor in Madagascar, Ornithoptera euphorion in Queensland forests, Papilio thaiwanus in Taiwan, Papiliothorium in East African montane forests and Papiliomontrouzieri in New Caledonia.

Other species are well known and widespread, yet numerous local threats are gradually building up to a disturbing general picture; e.g. Allancastriacerisy in southern Europe and the Middle East, Zerynthiapolyxena in Europe, Bhutanitislidderdalei in Asia and Ornithopterarichmondia in eastern Australia. Sericinusmontela from eastern Asia and Protographiumleosthenes from Australia are of particular interest as primitive members of their tribes.

A number of species have an uncertain taxonomic position; the Ornithoptera species of Australia were until recently considered to be subspecies of O. priamus; Graphiumpelopidas may be only a subspecies of G. leonidas.

Several species are very restricted in their ranges but not definitely known to be threatened, possibly only because they have never been investigated. In this category we include Battus eracon from western Mexico, Atrophaneura febanus and A . horishanus from Taiwan , A . rhodifer and Papilio mayo from the Andaman Islands, Papilio biseriatus from Timor and P. godeffroyi from Western Samoa.

However, the majority of the species listed below are simply very poorly known, in some cases only from a handful of specimens. Graphium mandarinus, G. tamerlanus, G. phidias and G. olbrechtsi are in this group, as are all the listed species of Parides, Papilio heringi, P. maesseni and many other species of Papilio.

Our long-term aim is to reduce this list by assigning proper categories to the species. This can only be achieved by an increased level of professional and amateur research into the world’s swallowtails.

This table is derived, with permission, from Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: the IUCN Red Data Book by N.M. Collins & M.G. Morris. The full volume, with references, may be downloaded from the IUCN Library System.

*Species that require monitoring

Parnassius delphius

Afghanistan, former USSR, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, China

Parnassius stoliczkanus

Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, China

Parnassius inopinatus

Afghanistan

Parnassius loxias

former USSR, China

Parnassius acco

Pakistan, India, Nepal, China

Parnassius hannyngtoni

India, China, Bhutan(?)

Parnassius felderi

former USSR

Parnassius bremeri

former USSR, China, N. Korea, S. Korea, Japan, Mongolia(?)

Parnassius actius

former USSR, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China

Parnassius tianschanicus

former USSR, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China

Sericinus montela

former USSR, China, N. Korea, S. Korea

Allancastria cerisy*

Balkans and Middle East

Allancastria caucasica

former USSR, Turkey

Allancastria louristana

Iran

Zerynthia polyxena*

S. Europe to Balkans and former USSR

Bhutanitis lidderdalei*

Bhutan, India, Thailand, China

Luehdorfia puziloi*

former USSR, China, N. Korea, S. Korea, Japan

Meandrusa sciron

China, India, Bhutan, Thailand, Burma

Eurytides xanticles

Colombia, Panama

Eurytides bellerophon

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay(?)

Eurytides earis

Ecuador, Brazil

Eurytides pausanias

Costa Rica to Brazil

Protographium leosthenes*

Australia

Graphium mandarinus

China, Burma, Nepal

Graphium alebion

China, Taiwan

Graphium tamerlanus

China

Graphium dorcas

Sulawesi (Indonesia)

Graphium phidias

Vietnam Laos(?)

Graphium olbrechtsi

Zaire

Graphium auriger

Gabon

Graphium pelopidas

Pemba Is (Tanzania)

Graphium nigrescens

Cameroon, Gabon, Zaire

Graphium gudenusi*

Zaire, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi

Battus devilliers*

Cuba, Bahamas

Battus eracon

Mexico

Parides gundlachianus*

Cuba

Parides phalaecus

Ecuador, Peru

Parides mithras

Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil

Parides chabrias

Peru, Ecuador

Parides quadratus

Brazil, Peru

Parides orellana

Brazil, Peru

Parides cutorina

Peru, Ecuador, Brazil

Parides phosphorus

Colombia, Venezuela(?), Guyana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru

Parides castilhoi

Brazil

Atrophaneura antenor*

Madagascar

Atrophaneura demonius

China

Atrophaneurs plutonius*

China, India, Nepal, Bhutan

Atrophaneura polla

India, Burma, China(?), Indochina(?)

Atrophaneura crassipes

India, Burma, China(?), Indochina

Atrophaneurs adamsoni

Burma, Thailand

Atrophaneura laos

Thailand, Laos

Atrophaneura mencius

China

Atrophaneura impediens

China, Taiwan

Atrophaneura febanus*

Taiwan

Atrophaneura hedistus

China

Atrophaneura kuehni

Sulawesi (Indonesia)

Atrophaneura priapus

Java, Sumatra (Indonesia)

Atrophaneura horishanus*

Taiwan

Atrophaneura dixoni

Sulawesi (Indonesia)

Atrophaneura rhodifer

Andaman Is (India)

Atrophaneura oreon

Lesser Sundas (Indonesia)

Troides minos*

India

Troides riedeli*

Tanimbar Is (Indonesia)

Troides plato*

Timor (Indonesia)

Ornithoptera euphorion*

Australia

Ornithoptera richmondia*

Australia

Papilio ascolius

Central America to Ecuador

Papilio neyi

Ecuador

Papilio xanthopleura

Peru, Ecuador

Papilio euterpinus

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Papilio thersites*

Jamaica

Papilio oxynias

Cuba

Papilio epenetus

Ecuador

Papilio dospassosi

Colombia

Papilio elwesi

China

Papilio demetrius*

Japan, N. Korea, S. Korea, China

Papilio lampsacus*

Java (Indonesia)

Papilio thaiwanus*

Taiwan

Papilio mayo

Andaman Is (India)

Papilio noblei

Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam

Papilio antonio

Philippines

Papilio biseriatus

Timor (Indonesia)

Papilio diophantus

Sumatra (Indonesia)

Papilio mahadeva

Burma, Indochina, Malaysia

Papilio hipponous

Talaud and Sangihe Is (Indonesia)

Papilio heringi

Halmahera (Indonesia)

Papilio godeffroyi

Western Samoa

Papilio gambrisius

Seram, Ambon, Buru (Indonesia)

Papilio aethiopsis

Ethiopia, Somalia

Papilio thuraui*

Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia

Papilio interjecta

Uganda, Kenya

Papilio maesseni

Ghana, Togo

Papilio blumei*

Sulawesi (Indonesia)

Papilio elephenor

India, Burma, Thailand

Papilio karna

Palawan (Philippines), Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

Papilio hoppo

Taiwan

Papilio montrouzieri*

New Caledonia

OUR APPEAL

Swallowtails and birdwings are beautiful and graceful butterflies – who wouldn’t love to see them dancing in the sunlight or sipping nectar from wildflowers? But many species are under threat from agriculture, forestry and climate change. We have ideas, enthusiasm and a vision for the future. Will you help us to achieve our goals?

GIVING

Financial contributions are welcome and will be treasured. We also need your ideas, new information, suggestions and encouragement!